Brewery archives give fascinating insight into Cork life over 150 years

THE archives of one of the country’s most famous breweries went live on the internet yesterday giving a fascinating insight into the lives of its workers, Cork’s merchant princes and the industry itself over 150 years.

The Murphy’s Brewery collection comprises 91 archival boxes and 147 bound volumes including business and brewing records. But it also contains details of the weekly wages paid, along with descriptions of the different trades employed at the famous Lady’s Well premises in Cork.

The documents give details of the expense accounts and therefore an insight into the opulent lifestyle enjoyed by Cork’s merchant princes during the 19th and 20th centuries, detailed tied house records, which are a resource for family as well as commercial historians, information on workers’ pay and conditions, and on the development of trade unions in the brewery.